Project

# Title Team Members TA Documents Sponsor
20 BikeBike Revolution: Energy Efficient E-Bike
 Gina Jiang
Shannon Lin
Yee Chan Kim
 Bonhyun Ku design_document1.pdf
design_document2.pdf
final_paper1.pdf
presentation1.pdf
proposal1.pdf
Team Members: Shannon Lin (slin81), Daniel Kim (yck2), and Gina Jiang (gjiang20)

# Problem
Indoor exercise is largely popular in today's time, especially during the current pandemic, and many products have been doing well such as the Peloton bike. An advantage that can be taken to the next level would be to have the indoor stationary bike become a bike generator, which is then able to turn that energy and power the motor for an E-Bike. This would overall optimize energy and also encourage bike enthusiasts to stay active efficiently, no matter the weather or circumstance.


# Solution Overview
Our solution is to allow an E-Bike to convert into an indoor stationary bike, and to use the energy generated from pedaling indoors to power the E-Bike for use outdoors. The amount of energy generated after pedaling for an hour is about 80 Wh, while the average E-bike is rated between 300-1000 Wh. This amount of power can be feasible in an electrically-assisted bike. We would also want to implement a multi-input system to allow the battery to be adapted to the grid. There will be an indoor stand/station to support the bike for safe use indoors, which would also be modified to fit the motor/generator, and there will be a battery mounted on the bike’s frame. Power electronics will also be included on the bike frame itself.


# Solution Components
Subsystem #1: Generator and Motor (hardware)
A motor can be modified to be also used as a generator, allowing it to both power the bike on the road and charge the battery when the bike is being pedaled.
A torque sensor will be used to determine how much torque is applied on the pedal so that the motor can be supplied with more power when the torque is greater.
Subsystem #2: Power Electronics (hardware)
AC power source - the bike should be able to input power from the grid, which would require a rectifier on the PCB to charge the battery. This can be a plug and play design so that the bike can be powered quickly.
DC power source - DC motor and battery, including a DC-DC power converter such as a buck or boost converter depending on the specs of the battery and motor / generator input and output rated voltage
A switch may be implemented to differentiate between when the motor should be supplying power and when the generator should be charging the battery.
Subsystem #3: Control System (software / hardware)
Controls can be implemented digitally through an Arduino to regulate the motor / generator expected input and output to the battery. We plan to use a PID controller in the Arduino system. The control system circuit can also be integrated into the PCB design of the project.

# Criterion for Success
Our criterion for success would be to have the E-Bike output at least 300 Wh of power, thus having the generator be able to meet this requirement as well as successful battery storage capability. The other criteria would be to have the bike be compatible with obtaining power from the grid, which means a working AC-DC power converter on the bike. With the end product, the user should be able to ride the bike indoors / charge it, then take it outside and use the electrically assisted feature.

Modularized Electronic Locker

Jack Davis, Joshua Nolan, Jake Pu

Modularized Electronic Locker

Featured Project

Group Member: Jianhao (Jake) Pu [jpu3], Joshua Nolan [jtnolan2], John (Jack) Davis [johnhd4]

Problem:

Students living off campus without a packaging station are affected by stolen packages all the time. As a result of privacy concerns and inconsistent deployment, public cameras in Champaign and around the world cannot always be relied upon. Therefore, it can be very difficult for victims to gather evidence for a police report. Most of the time, the value of stolen items is small and they are usually compensated by the sellers (Amazon and Apple are very understanding). However, not all deliveries are insured and many people are suffering from stolen food deliveries during the COVID-19 crisis. We need a low-cost solution that can protect deliveries from all vendors.

Solution Overview:

Our solution is similar to Amazon Hub Apartment Locker and Luxer One. Like these services, our product will securely enclose the package until the owners claim the contents inside. The owner of the contents can claim it using a phone number or a unique user identification code generated and managed by a cloud service.

The first difference we want to make from these competitors is cost. According to an article, the cost of a single locker is from $6000 - $20000. We want to minimize such costs so that we can replace the traditional mailbox. We talked to a Chinese manufacturer and got a hardware quote of $3000. We can squeeze this cost if we just design our own control module on ESP32 microcontrollers.

The second difference we want to make is modularity. We will have a sensor module, a control module, a power module and any number of storage units for hardware. We want to make standardized storage units that can be stacked into any configuration, and these storage units can be connected to a control module through a communication bus. The control module houses the hardware to open or close all of the individual lockers. A household can purchase a single locker and a control module just for one family while apartment buildings can stack them into the lockers we see at Amazon Hub. I think the hardware connection will be a challenge but it will be very effective at lowering the cost once we can massively manufacture these unit lockers.

Solution Components:

Storage Unit

Basic units that provide a locker feature. Each storage unit will have a cheap microcontroller to work as a slave on the communication bus and control its electronic lock (12V 36W). It has four connectors on top, bottom, left, and right sides for stackable configuration.

Control Unit

Should have the same dimension as one of the storage units so that it could be stacked with them. Houses ESP32 microcontroller to run control logics on all storage units and uses the built-in WiFi to upload data to a cloud server. If sensor units are detected, it should activate more security features accordingly.

Power Unit

Power from the wall or from a backup battery power supply and the associated controls to deliver power to the system. Able to sustain high current in a short time (36W for each electronic lock). It should also have protection against overvoltage and overcurrent.

Sensor Modules

Sensors such as cameras, motion sensors, and gyroscopes will parlay any scandalous activities to the control unit and will be able to capture a photo to report to authorities. Sensors will also have modularity for increased security capabilities.

Cloud Support

Runs a database that keeps user identification information and the security images. Pushes notification to end-users.

Criterion for Success:

Deliverers (Fedex, Amazon, Uber Eats, etc.) are able to open the locker using a touchscreen and a use- provided code to place their package inside. Once the package is inside of the locker, a message will be sent to the locker owner that their delivery has arrived. Locker owners are able to open the locker using a touchscreen interface. Owners are also able to change the passcode at any time for security reasons. The locker must be difficult to break into and offer theft protection after multiple incorrect password attempts.

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